I was sat there in a perfectly quiet house, Jack Asleep at my side and reading Diarmid on Christianity when it dawned on me that in terms of what is good for mental well-being that must be very high up the list. Modern life doesn't give much opportunity for activities like this. There are many advantages in living on your own!

Stanley Challenger Graham
Stanley's View
scg1936 at talktalk.net

"Beware of certitude" (Jimmy Reid)
The floggings will continue until morale improves!

Don't know whether it will be judged as a good book or not yet. I got the GCHQ Puzzle Book Vol. II for Christmas. It's 350 pages + of puzzles (probably about 1500 of them) set by the best in code and cypher, including historical entrance papers given for recruits to Bletchley Park in 1940. To quote Captain Oats partially, "I may be some time".

The first section are said to be training puzzles to get you into the mindsets of the creators. If you see a number think of a letter, if you see a letter think numbers. To be successful you have to think outside the box, nothing is literal, or it could be, all angles have to be covered. I have got to number 10 with a couple of gaps where the penny hasn't dropped yet. They get harder and harder as you progress. Each section they introduce new techniques, got to be good for the brain.

I'll pop an odd one in the puzzles thread, ones I have done, ones I havn't would be cheating

Called in on my Samaritan's book stall to look some Steven Potter books. Why they put humour / satire on bottoms shelves is a bit perverse but it must be their sense of humour. While I was down there on my knees I spotted a a 2017 Private Eye manual. Well I though I may as well get something for my pains, so I bought it. Another gent who was buying a History of Colne said " I have all the manuals from 1995 onwards that is the only one I haven't got. It being Christmas and feeling rather generous I gave him a smile rather than the usual growl and kept the book. We then discussed old Colne buildings for a few minutes but after he corrected me on the date of the Colne Town Hall I did a bit of Oneupmanship and told him about the foundation stones on the Montague Burton building. He shot off at the double to have a look.

I have ordered Tomas Cromwell, must stop buying books!
Diarmid excited me yesterday with his account of the rise of monasticism in the West and it has triggered me into thoughts of a further look at the Cistercians in Barlick. He reinforced some linkages between Monarchy and the Church which I knew about but have never given enough emphasis to. Not everyone's cup of tea I know but there you are......

Stanley Challenger Graham
Stanley's View
scg1936 at talktalk.net

"Beware of certitude" (Jimmy Reid)
The floggings will continue until morale improves!